text:
Q: How to replace attribute values in Node.js Simpledb using putItem I have a node application saving data to Amazon SimpleDb to store name/value pairs data using the rjrodger/simpledb node driver (https://github.com/rjrodger/simpledb) . I call putItem as below:
sdb.putItem('mySimpleDbTable','Record_0001',
{
   statusUpdate:'1'
},
function(err,res,meta){
  if (err) {
     console.log('Status Update error: ' + err.Message);
   }
  console.log("Memories, you're talking about memories: "+JSON.stringify(res))
})

Inserts a record like below:
{ $ItemName: 'Record_0001' { statusUpdate: '1' }}

Then after a few operations, I would like to update statusUpdateto '2' like this:
{ $ItemName: 'Record_0001' { statusUpdate: '2' }}

No matter how I try, the Node simpleDb driver always inserts a new attribute like below:
{ $ItemName: 'Record_0001' { statusUpdate: '1',  statusUpdate: '2' }}

If I try
sdb.putItem('mySimpleDbTable','Record_0001',
{
statusUpdate:['2', true]
}

Then I get -
{ $ItemName: 'Record_0001' { statusUpdate: '1',  statusUpdate: '2', statusUpdate: 'true' }}

How can I use the "replace:true" parameter of the putItem to just update the value instead of inserting a new value.
Please help.

A: Your code is always setting Replace parameter to false so these values are getting added to existing values. If you set it to true then existing values of attribute always gets replaced by new value. i.e.

Optionally, you can supply the Replace parameter for each individual
  attribute. Setting this value to true causes the new attribute value
  to replace the existing attribute value(s) if any exist. Otherwise,
  Amazon SimpleDB simply inserts the attribute values. For example, if
  an item has the attributes { 'a', '1' }, { 'b', '2'}, and { 'b', '3' }
  and the requester calls BatchPutAttributes using the attributes { 'b',
  '4' } with the Replace parameter set to true, the final attributes of
  the item are changed to { 'a', '1' } and { 'b', '4' }. This occurs
  because the new 'b' attribute replaces the old value.

-- Source
statusUpdate:['2', true]

Here true is not that replace parameter. See the results. Code is taking true as a value to that attribute.

A: There is something else going on here - that behaviour is not expected.
I have added a test case for this - checkout out this commit:
https://github.com/rjrodger/simpledb/commit/236aad0feefad9844548c4fde76e996ee3c4d347
and run in folder test:
expresso simpledb.test.js -o putItemHappy
(you may need to npm install expresso)
Also, trying running with the debuglogger enabled:
sdb = new simpledb.SimpleDB({...}),simpledb.debuglogger)
This will print logs to the console.
The putattrs function in lib/simpledb.js:203 does the put attributes setup - the replace mode is set if you don't provide an array - your Array.isArray hasn't been overwritten, right?
... ah
I think I see what is going on.
Have you tried:
sdb.putItem('mySimpleDbTable','Record_0001',
{
  statusUpdate:'2'
}

This should replace.
If you use an array (['2',true]), it does not replace - it assumes you want to set multiple values.


text:
$LOAD_PATH.unshift(File.dirname(__FILE__)) unless $LOAD_PATH.include?(File.dirname(__FILE__))
require "rubygems"
require 'json'
require 'utils'
#require_relative 'utils'

def mega_raid_type_pattern_match(needle)
  grep_pattern = ['RAID Level']
  grep_pattern.each do |pattern|
    return true if needle.start_with?(pattern)
  end
  return false
end

def mega_get_raid_type(cmd)

  response = []
  raid_type_result = Utils.facter_exec(cmd)

  if raid_type_result.strip.empty?
    return response
  else
    filted_raid_type_result = raid_type_result.split("\n").select do |line|
      mega_raid_type_pattern_match(line)
    end
  end
  filted_raid_type_result.each do |line|
    key, value = line.split(':')
    response.push(value.strip)
  end

  return response
end

def hpcli_get_raid_type(cmd)

    response = []

    raid_type_result = Utils.facter_exec(cmd)

    if not raid_type_result.empty?
      raid_type_result.split("\n").each do |line|
        m = line.match(/logicaldrive.*RAID.*/)
        response.push(m[0]) if m
      end
    end

    return response
end

Facter.add(:raid_type) do
  confine :kernel => 'Linux'
  setcode do

  response = []

  if Facter.value(:manufacturer) =~ /.*HP.*/i  # ---------

    cli = Utils.hpacucli_for_linux
    cmd = "#{cli} ctrl all show config"
    response = hpcli_get_raid_type(cmd)

  else # ---------

    cli = Utils.megacli_for_linux
    cmd = "#{cli} -LDInfo -Lall -aALL -Nolog"

    if File.exist?(cli)
      response = mega_get_raid_type(cmd)
    end
  end # ---------

  if response
    response.join(";")
  else
    ""
  end

  end
end

Facter.add(:raid_type) do
  confine :kernel => 'windows'
  setcode do

  response = []

  if Facter.value(:manufacturer) =~ /.*HP.*/i  # ---------
    cli = Utils.hpacucli_for_win
    cmd = "#{cli} ctrl all show config"
    response = hpcli_get_raid_type(cmd)

  else

    cli = Utils.megacli_for_win
    cmd = "#{cli}  -LDInfo -Lall -aALL"

    if File.exist?(cli)
      response = mega_get_raid_type(cmd)
    end
  end

  if response
    response.join(";")
  else
    ""
  end

  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


With 80% of internet users owning a smartphone, mobile marketing is leading the way people interact with brands. Global companies such as Southwest Airlines, McDonald's, Apple and Ford are leveraging mobile survey campaigns into their digital marketing strategy with great success. Delivering surveys on mobile devices – right at the point of their audience's experience or interaction – not only resulted in an increase in brand loyalty, but also a heightened customer experience providing them with the data they need to continuously improve upon their products.
Do not underestimate the power of surveys on the go. Consumers want to share their opinion and input, especially when it is in their direct interest or when it involves a brand that they are loyal to. Even Facebook and Instagram have added a poll feature. It is an opportunity for your audience to engage – allowing for instant feedback. Mobile survey campaigns are one of the best ways to gauge sentiment and to gain deep insight into your target market.
Firstly, what would you like to achieve? What questions would you like to have answered? Create a campaign based on the desired end result. Offering sufficient response choices and ensuring that the questions being asked are unambiguous will guarantee more reliable results. Thanks to products like Wi-Fire getting to know your target audience is a walk in the park. With their full Audience Analytics Suite you can get an even deeper understanding of their interests and consumer habits. When setting up the survey, keep in mind that the target audience is likely connected to the free Wi-Fi hotspot to browse or engage on social media. Depending on where about your audience is located, you will need to judge when the time is right to to send out the survey in order to get a higher completion rate.
The more personal, the more accurate the responses. The better you understand your target audience, the more you can tailor your questions to suit them, and the more likely they will be to provide accurate answers. Add a simple 'thank you' at the end of the survey to show your appreciation for their time. Engage your target audiences by providing them with an incentive. For example, give away a coupon code for an in-store special after completing the survey. This will ensure a higher completion rate.
Making sure that your survey has a mobile-friendly design is crucial. Mobile phones offer just 5% of what would be available on a desktop PC in terms of screen space. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid designs where the user would have to scroll or pinch the screen to view more. Products such as Wi-Fire offer a pre-designed template for your convenience, ensuring a seamless experience for the user and making it more likely for them to complete a survey again in the future.
In a nutshell, successful mobile surveys should be simple, easy to use, personalised and to the point. Having a strong mobile survey campaign will give you in-depth insight into improving long-term customer satisfaction and refining your products, and should be part of your marketing roadmap as you push through 2018.
INTERESTED? REQUEST A FREE WI-FIRE DEMO TODAY!


text:
author: slowe
comments: false
date: 2009-05-14 12:19:11+00:00
layout: post
slug: hyper9-virtualization-mobile-manager-beta-invitations
title: Hyper9 Virtualization Mobile Manager Beta Invitations
wordpress_id: 1365
categories: Information
tags:
- Citrix
- ESX
- ESXi
- HyperV
- Mobility
- Virtualization
- VMware
- Xen
---

The fine folks over at [Hyper9](http://www.hyper9.com/) recently offered me a very limited number of _special_ beta invitations for Hyper9's new Virtualization Mobile Manager (VMM) product. As you may already know, VMM is the brainchild of Andrew Kutz, who recently joined Hyper9 and has already released a few snippets of code via H9Labs.

Here are some highlights of VMM:

* Supports all major hypervisors: VMware Server 2, VMware Infrastructure 3 (VMware ESX and VMware ESXi 3.5, VirtualCenter 2.5), Microsoft Hyper-V, and Citrix XenServer 5

* Runs as an Apache Tomcat web application, supported on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X

* Accessible from just about any mobile device: Apple iPhone, Blackberry, Google Android-based phones, and Windows Mobile devices

* "Gracefully degrades" into Lite Mode if the mobile device doesn't support all the web UI features

While the VMM beta is open to the general public, I have 15 _special invitations_ that will grant additional benefits (extra perks, if you will). Specifically, these beta invitations will come with:

* A 50% discount on the already low pricing for VMM once it is released

* Automatic entry into a contest, starting in June, to win a mobile device

* A limited edition Hyper9 T-shirt (assuming you provide a little feedback to the team at Hyper9)

Interested in one of these special invitations? Well, you're going to have to work for it. Post a comment to this article telling me why you should be one of the lucky 15 readers who gets a special invitation. Telling me you'll help promote my [upcoming vSphere book][1] might improve your chances...or it might not! I'll leave comments open until Friday, May 22, or until I get 30 comments on the article, **whichever comes first**. From the comments on the article I'll select the top 15 to receive the special invitation to the VMM beta.

In the event you aren't interested in one of the special invitations, or if you read this article after the invitations have already been given out, you can also register for the beta from [the Hyper9 community site](http://community.hyper9.com/forums/t/257.aspx).

So post your comment now!

[1]: {% post_url 2009-05-11-pre-order-mastering-vmware-vsphere-4 %}


We do our best to give you accurate and detailed information about every item we offer so you can buy with confidence.
If you do change your mind after receiving your purchase, you can inform us about your wish to return it within thirty (30) days counting from the moment you have received your order and we will refund or exchange it for another product as you prefer, provided your return is in its original condition and original packaging with all manuals and accessories included, excluding any legal exceptions that may apply. The return must be accompanied by proof of purchase.
Buyer will pay return shipping costs. Please be aware that we reject any COD shipments (Charge on delivery) made without previous agreement. When you want to return an item, let us know in advance and we'll tell you how to do it easily.
Once the goods are returned in perfect condition, we will refund you the amount paid (sale price + original shipping costs) in the same way that you paid for your purchase. We do not accept used, altered or modified products.
The products sold by BD addik Exclusive S.L are protected by the legal warranties granted by the Spanish law 23/2003 of July 10 of Warranties in the Sale of Consumer Goods.
For consumers, BD addik Exclusive S.L guarantees the conformity of products with the description posted on this website in the terms established by law: for a period of two years for new products and for the period of one year for refurbished or used products. It is presumed, unless proven otherwise, that any faults to a product that become apparent within six months after delivery already existed at the time of purchase. After the first six months of purchase, it becomes the buyer's obligation to prove that a claimed defect already existed at the time of purchase. The warranty period starts from the delivery date.
Not covered are deficiencies caused by neglect, external shocks, misuse, outside manipulations, unsuitable voltage, improper installation, materials subject to normal wear or consumables. In those incidents that justify the claim of the warrenty, BD addik Exclusive S.L will decide to either repair, replace the article, discount or refund under the terms established by law.
To use the warranty, you must present the proof of purchase that we sent you via email with confirmation of payment of your purchase.


text:
Millie Perkins
Shooting, The (1966) September 06 (ET) - REMINDER
FOR Millie Perkins YOU CAN
Ensign Pulver ... A lighthearted seeworthy oceangoing comedic voyage that begins where the classic... more info $15.96was $19.99 Buy Now
The Witch Who Came From the... Abused as a child by her alcoholic father, Molly is now a dysfunctional waitress... more info $15.95was $19.95 Buy Now
The Pistol: The Birth of a... The Pistol is the action-packed, heartwarming motion picture about the... more info $11.95was $14.98 Buy Now
American Horror Project:... Everyone knows the classic American horror titles: Night of the Living Dead, The... more info $69.95was $99.95 Buy Now
The Shooting / Ride in the... In the mid-sixties, the maverick American director Monte Hellman (TWO-LANE... more info $19.47was $29.95 Buy Now
Born: May 12, 1938 Cause of Death:
Birth Place: Passaic, New Jersey, USA Profession: actor, model
She won one of the most coveted roles in Hollywood history--Anne Frank, the Jewish teen who still affirms the human spirit while hiding from the Nazis--in George Stevens' "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1959). Yet the almost fragile, seemingly eternal dark-haired ingenue Millie Perkins failed to ignite with the audience to become a big movie star, partly because she projected an ordinary quality. There was so sense of urgency or recognition of the inherent dangers. After finding steady work in the 1960s, she seemed to disappear in the 70s, only to renew her career as a strong supporting player in the 80s and 90s. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, the daughter of a sea captain, Perkins was a junior model and cover girl before winning the Anne Frank role. Her second film was "Wild in the Country" (1961) opposite Elvis Presley; it was de rigueur for every ingenue at the time to play opposite Elvis. (In a twist of fate, Perkins would later portray Gladys Presley, Elvis' mother, in the short-lived 1990 ABC TV series, "Elvis"). She continued her leading lady career in such efforts as "Ensign Pulver" (1964) and even was alongside Jack Nicholson during the Roger Corman period in "Ride in the Whirlwind" (1965), which...
She won one of the most coveted roles in Hollywood history--Anne Frank, the Jewish teen who still affirms the human spirit while hiding from the Nazis--in George Stevens' "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1959). Yet the almost fragile, seemingly eternal dark-haired ingenue Millie Perkins failed to ignite with the audience to become a big movie star, partly because she projected an ordinary quality. There was so sense of urgency or recognition of the inherent dangers. After finding steady work in the 1960s, she seemed to disappear in the 70s, only to renew her career as a strong supporting player in the 80s and 90s.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, the daughter of a sea captain, Perkins was a junior model and cover girl before winning the Anne Frank role. Her second film was "Wild in the Country" (1961) opposite Elvis Presley; it was de rigueur for every ingenue at the time to play opposite Elvis. (In a twist of fate, Perkins would later portray Gladys Presley, Elvis' mother, in the short-lived 1990 ABC TV series, "Elvis"). She continued her leading lady career in such efforts as "Ensign Pulver" (1964) and even was alongside Jack Nicholson during the Roger Corman period in "Ride in the Whirlwind" (1965), which Nicholson also wrote and co-produced. But by "Wild in the Streets" (1968), it was apparent Perkins' screen career was faltering. After her marriage to writer-director Robert Thom, Perkins seemingly retired, appearing only sporadically in film and on TV. It was not she was cast as Jon Voight's ex-wife in "Table For Five" (1983), that Perkins re-emerged. She had retained her delicate, porcelain features--her face had hardly--but her body was sturdier, and she now projected far more personal power and strength. Now relegated to supporting parts, she played Sean Penn's mother in "At Close Range" (1986), Charlie Sheen's mom in "Wall Street" (1987) and the parent of murder victims in "The Chamber" (1996).
On the small screen, Perkins first appeared on TV in 1960 on a Bob Hope special, and made her episodic debut on an episode of "Wagon Train" the following year. When she resumed her career in the 80s, she worked with some regularity in character roles. Perkins played a rape victim in "A Gun in the House" (CBS, 1981) and went on to a number of portrayals as wives, married to drunk driver Don Murray in "License of Kill" (1984, CBS) and Ed Asner's ailing Norman Cousins in "Anatomy of an Illness" (1984, CBS). Even in her first regular series role, she was typecast, playing the estranged spouse of William Devane on the CBS primetime soap "Knots Landing" during the 1983-84 season. Moving into maternal roles, she was cast as the penultimate mother, the Virgin Mary, in the NBC miniseries "A.D." (1985) and was the parent of the young Patty Duke in 1990 biopic "Call Me Anna" (ABC). Six years later, she appeared alongside Duke as an Amish woman in "Harvest of Fire" (1996, CBS).
VIEW THE FULL BIOGRAPHY
Though None Go With Me (2006)
Lost City, The (2005)
H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon (1996) Lena ("The Cold")
Harvest of Fire (1996)
Chamber, The (1996) Ruth Kramer
Summer of Ben Tyler, The (1996)
Bodily Harm (1995) Dr Spencer
Murder of Innocence (1993) Edna Webber
Sharkskin (1991)
Pistol: The Birth of a Legend, The (1991)
Milestones close milestones
Featured in the CBS TV-movie "Harvest of Shame", co-starring Patty Duke
Raised in Fair Lawn, New Jersey
Appeared in first TV episodic, "Wagon Train" (NBC)
Last feature appearance for six years in "WIld in the Streets"
Made first TV appearance on Bob Hope variety special
Was model and cover girl
Co-starred in the short-lived ABC series "Elvis" as Presley's mother Gladys
Last feature for seven years, "The Witch Who Came in From the Sea"
Made TV-movie debut, "A Gun in the House" (CBS)
Played mother of Patty Duke in the TV-movie biopic "Call Me Anna" (CBS)
Played the Virgin Mary in the NBC miniseries "A.D."
Returned to features as Jon Voight's ex-wife in "Table of Five"
Returned to features in Monte Hellman's "Cockfight"
Starred opposite Elvis Presley in "Wild in the Country"
Appeared as regular on one season of "Knots Landing" as Jane Sumner
Appeared as the mother of murder victims in "The Chamber"
Cast as mother to Sean Penn in "At Close Range"
Made feature film debut in title role of "The Diary of Anne Frank"
VIEW ALL MILESTONES
Perkins on appearing as Elvis Presley's leading lady in "Wild in the Country": "I was very shy then. I was a newcomer. Elvis was so polite and gracious to me. Elvis understood people." --quoted in PR material for the ABC TV series "Elvis"
Companions close complete companion listing
Dean Stockwell. Actor. Married 1960; divorced 1962.
Dean Stockwell. Actor.
Robert Thom. Screenwriter; director. Wrote "Wild in the Streets" (1968).
Robert Thom. Survived him.
VIEW COMPLETE COMPANION LISTING

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Why do I get an error on the last line of installing Pylons 1.0 with easy_install and Python 2.7 in Windows Vista 64? I tried to install Pylons 1.0 with Python 2.7 using the easy_install command in Windows Vista 64 but got the error:
    raise ValueError(str(list(result.keys())))
ValueError: [u'path']

Here is the link to the whole installation process from command prompt
http://pastie.org/1190341

*

*Why do I get this error?

*How do I solve it?

*Will Pylons work even though I got this error?

A: From the error:
File "C:\Python27\Lib\distutils\msvc9compiler.py", line 295, in q
uery_vcvarsall
    raise ValueError(str(list(result.keys())))
ValueError: [u'path']

distutils looks for a file called vcvarsall.bat. It runs it and gets the include and lib directories that the batch file sets up. The batch file sets up the environment based on what platform you supply to it.
vcvarsall.bat should be in a directory like: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC
Create following directories:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC\bin\amd64\
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC\bin\amd64\vcvarsamd64.bat
in vcvarsamd64.bat
call "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.1\Bin\SetEnv.cmd" /x64 /Release
All these above sets up windows tool chain to work with disutils. While you may have 64 bit python, most packages on pypi comes with 32 bit precompiled binaries. disutils needs to use your compiler tool chain for building 64 bit extensions. This is where all this come into picture.
Please look at :

*

*http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vcblog/archive/2007/12/30/using-different-toolsets-for-vc-build.aspx
What vcvarsamd64.bat and other batchfile does is setup up paths for libs, tools etc which can be used by disutils.
[Edit: setenv.cmd not found in v6]
https://serverfault.com/questions/114998/vista-cmd-shell-thinks-its-windows-server-2008-debug

A: There's a workaround mentioned on pylons discuss list:

*

*simplejson workaround for Pylons 0.9.7 on Windows, Python 2.6
It's a bit old (2008), but since your pasted output shows failure on compiling simplejson, it seems relevant.  You might try following the suggestions there to see if it helps.

A: if you have installed x64 visual studio you can use the cmd tool in the visual studio tools in the start menu. It will set up the environment for you.

A: It looks like you couldn't build a C extension, something that is often difficult for Windows users.  Try to find a Windows kit for Pylons.  Or, look for help on installing MinGW so you can build the extensions.

A: I spent a huge amount of time trying to get the c++ compiler to work with 64 bit Python on 64 bit Windows. It turns out the answer was here.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms246588(v=vs.90).aspx
Run the VS 2008 Professional installer again and make sure make sure "X64 Compilers and Tools" is selected in the installer options.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
California Department of Pesticide Regulation Moves to Ban the Use of Chlorpyrifos Pesticide
Environmental Testing Laboratory
Title California Department of Pesticide Regulation Moves to Ban the Use of Chlorpyrifos Pesticide
Introduction LA Testing provides industrial hygiene and environmental testing services to identify a wide range of pesticides and herbicides.
Huntington Beach, CA, August 1st, 2019
In 2015, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) designated chlorpyrifos (CPS) as a "restricted material" that requires a permit from a county agricultural commissioner for its application. Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide that goes by a number of trade names and has been used on a variety of crops in California.
In April of this year, the pesticide was formally listed as a "toxic air contaminant." California law defines this listing as "an air pollutant which may cause or contribute to an increase in mortality, an increase in serious illness or present a potential hazard to human health." The following month, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) announced DPR was acting to ban the use of the pesticide and toxic air contaminant in the state by initiating cancellation of the pesticide.
According to a joint CalEPA and DPR news release:
The decision to ban chlorpyrifos follows mounting evidence, including recent findings by the state's independent Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants, that the pesticide causes serious health effects in children and other sensitive populations at lower levels of exposure than previously understood. These effects include impaired brain and neurological development.
"The formal cancellation process for chlorpyrifos is expected to take up to two years," said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager at LA Testing's Huntington Beach facility. "During this time, DPR recommendations to county agricultural commissioners include a ban on aerial spraying, quarter-mile buffer zones and limiting use to crop-pest combinations that lack alternatives. Farmers, workers, regulators, environmental professionals and people living in communities in areas where these types of pesticides are used can turn to LA Testing for answers to questions about exposure risks. LA Testing's laboratories offer environmental and industrial hygiene testing for chlorpyrifos and over a dozen other organophosphate pesticides. These testing services can be instrumental for identifying occupational exposure risks and potential hazards to nearby communities and the environment."
To learn more about pesticide or other environmental and industrial hygiene testing services, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794.


Why Major in Immunology and Infectious Disease?
For the B.S. degree in Immunology and Infectious Disease, a minimum of 124 credits is required.
The following is a list of courses that are approved to fulfill the 9 credit supporting courses requirement. Please note that other 400-level (or higher) courses may be approved by the program coordinator; please consult in advance.


text:
Quick Answer: What Good Did The Mongols Do?
What were the Mongols known for?
Why the Mongols were so successful?
What was the Mongols greatest accomplishment?
How did the Mongols impact the world?
Did the Mongols invent anything?
Who defeated the Mongols?
Did the Mongols have a positive or negative impact on world history?
How did the Mongols rise to power?
Did the Mongols ever lose a battle?
What is the greatest empire in history?
Who has the biggest empire in history?
Who were Mongols in history?
The Mongols could be seen as cruel but were also helpful in society.
They were very violent and conquered many lands and killed men, women and even children, However, they also diversified their lands, had Good Morals and helped contribute with things such as making safe trade routes.
The Mongols were a nomadic people from the steppes of Central Asia. Known as fierce horsemen and warriors, the Mongol clans were united in 1206 by the powerful chief Temujin, later known as Genghis Khan. However, Genghis Khan was not only a skilled conqueror, but also a great ruler.
Both Mongol horses and people were tough, agile and sturdy with great endurance. The Mongol army continually trained the troops in rotations, formations and diversionary tactics. They trained for as many circumstances as they could think of so they could react fast and sure to any tactic of the enemy.
One accomplishment of the Mongols in China was the creation of thr Yuan Rynasty. Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan's son, conquered Song China in 1279. This is a very big achievement because no one has ever conquered all of China ever before, so the Mongols were the first ever to do it.
The Mongols also acquired new technical knowledge, such as Chinese engineers, and taxes as they expanded their empire. This enabled them to create a more stable empire that then began to govern and see the benefit of developing cities for the benefit of the Mongol rulers through increased revenue.
the Mongols invented gunpowder, artillery, silk shirts, chemical and biological weapons and Mongolian Barbeque. according to some historians the Mongol Empire was the template for the invention of the modern world.
The first and most notable post-Genghis Khan defeat of the Mongols was by the Mamlukes of Egypt at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260. This defeat effectively halted the western advance of the Mongols. The Mamlukes were led by Sultan Qutuz who had defeated numerous Crusades and one of his commanders was Baybars.
Positive Effects of the Mongols
Although the Mongol invasion of Europe sparked terror and disease, in the long run, it had enormous positive impacts. The foremost was what historians call the Pax Mongolica, a century of peace (circa 1280-1360) among neighboring peoples who were all under Mongol rule.
The empire unified the nomadic Mongol and Turkic tribes of historical Mongolia under the leadership of Genghis Khan, who was proclaimed ruler of all Mongols in 1206. The empire grew rapidly under his rule and then under his descendants, who sent invasions in every direction.
Mongols Suffer First Decisive Defeat. On this day in 1260, the great Mongol cavalry, one of history's most fearsome military forces, suffered its first decisive and irrecoverable loss to the Mamluks at the Battle of 'Ain Jalut which took place in the Jezreel Valley southwest of the Sea of Galilee.
The 10 Greatest Empires In The History Of The World
4) The Spanish Empire was one of the first global empires.
3) The Russian Empire lasted almost 200 years.
2) The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen.
1) The British Empire was the largest empire the world has ever seen.
Every empire was composed of great cities.
Mongol Empire
The Mongols one of many nomadic people who lived on the East Asian steppe. Genghis Khan was born into this nomadic lifestyle in 1162CE and had a very difficult upbringing: many of his family and friends were either killed or kidnapped while he was still young.
Quick Answer: How Do You Track A Key?
Tile is a tiny Bluetooth tracker and easy to use app
Quick Answer: Will Mold In Walls Die?
Mold spores never truly "die"
Question: What Is Wedging In Clay?
View all How do you wedge clay for pottery?
Can You Mortar Tile To Wood?
Specialty Thinset Whatever type of plywood you are
Quick Answer: What Is Tooling In Automotive Industry?
What is tooling in manufacturing? Tooling, also known


The Little Train That Could….Maybe. – Darklightness – Mom Blog. 30's Girl.
This entry was posted in canada, family, inspire, inspired, life, love, quote, quotes, selfhelp, Uncategorized, USA, work. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
ShopRite Classic Preview, Pairings, & More
Congratulations go out to Ariya Jutanugarn for winning the LPGA Volvic Championship. Ariya blew away the field on the back nine Sunday, and won by 5 strokes over Christina Kim. Ariya is the first LPGA player since Inbee Park to win three LPGA tournaments in a row. She also became the first player in Tour history to have the first 3 wins of her career come in consecutive tournaments.
This week the LPGA moves to the state of New Jersey for the playing of the ShopRite Classic. This has been a mainstay on the LPGA schedule now since 1992. This tournament has been won by
several players that once had the #1 world ranking. These winners include Stacy Lewis (twice), Ai Miyazato, and Annika Sorenstam. Many may remember last year's exciting finish when Anna Nordqvist was victorious by a single shot over runner-up Christel Boeljon.
This tournament will have a Friday start as it is only 54 holes. Weather is always such a big factor here as the winds can turn this golf course from a lamb to…
LPGA Volvik Championship Preview & Pairings
Congratulations go out to Ariya Jutanugarn for winning the Kingsmill Championship. Ariya's final round 67 was was good enough to win by a single stroke. It was Ariya's 2nd consecutive victory, and vaulted her to #2 on the year's money list.
The biggest winner this past weekend however, may have been the runner-up Su Oh. She is a player with limited playing status, who shot a final round 65 to take home the second place purse of almost $120,000. The LPGA will have a second reshuffle in 2 weeks, and Oh (from Australia) will then get to play much more regularly. It also means that she will finish in the top 80 this year, and have full playing privileges in 2017.
This week the LPGA moves to the state of Michigan for the inaugural playing of the Volvik Championship. Michigan will now be the host to two tournaments on the LPGA schedule. This tournament will be played in Ann Arbor, while the Meijer Classic will be held in Grand Rapids in a few weeks.
This will be tournament #14 o…
Kingsmill Championship Preview & Pairings
This week the LPGA moves to the state of Virginia for the playing of the Kingsmill Championship.
Many of you may remember last year's exciting finish when Minjee Lee and So Yeon Ryu made the turn on Sunday tied for the lead. Minjee's eagle on the par five 15th hole, led to her shooting a back nine total of 31. It was enough to win by 2 shots.
This tournament has a long history of big name winners including: Cristie Kerr (3 times), Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen, Se Ri Pak, Karrie Webb, and Annika Sorenstam.
This will be tournament #13 of 33 on this year's LPGA schedule.
Course: River Course at Kingsmill Resort
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Defending Champion: Minjee Lee
Winning Score: 68-67-69-65 = 269 (-15)
Final Field: 144 players
Par: 36/35 = 71
Purse: $1,300,000
My strength of field rating is a very solid 78% (up from 77% last year). Forty-four of the top 50 players from the LPGA Priority List, and 19 of the top 25 player…
Rating the 2016 LPGA Rookies - Part 1
Rolex Rankings Movers of the Year 2016 - Part 1
Symetra Tour Prepares For Its Most Anticipated Ev...
Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic Preview & Pairings


Instructor Kevin Whitehead will answer all your questions when it comes to Flexwing Microlight flying.
Alba Airsports in association with The Scottish Aero Club are the sole providers of microlight training in Perthshire. Situated in the gateway to the Highlands, we are just three miles to the North East of Perth city along the A94 towards Coupar Angus.
We offer hourly and intensive pilot training for potential and converting pilots. We also offer introductory experience flights to the general public to offer a taste of what it's like to fly one of these fantastic high performance flying machines. Our aim is to get as many people as possible to experience the thrill of flying a microlight. Book a trial flight today for that special friend or loved one, or simply come and have a go for yourself!
It's Fantastic – You won't be disappointed!
At Alba Airsports, we offer you the opportunity to purchase an introductory trial flight, and take to the skies in one of these fantastic flying machines.
Also known as an Air Experience Flight, this is an ideal way of experiencing the exhilarating sensation of open cockpit flying. If you've always wondered what it might be like, then this is the way to find out!
An ideal gift for the budding aviator, we offer 30-minute, 60-minute and the ultimate 90-minute trial flight. During the flight you will have the opportunity to take the controls and fly the aircraft yourself, or you can simply relax and enjoy the panoramic views of the beautiful Perthshire countryside, so don't forget your camera! If you later decide to train for your pilots licence to fly a microlight, then your air experience flight will count towards your training.
If you would like to purchase an introductory trial flight, then buying an experience flight gift voucher is the easiest way to proceed. The person receiving the gift can then book a specific date and time at a later stage, as our vouchers are valid for 12 months from purchase. If you already have a voucher and would like to book a date and time, then please call, email or simply pop in to arrange your flight.
Perth Airport is Scotland's premier general aviation licensed airfield and training establishment, and offers flight instruction through independent companies in Fixed Wing and Helicopter for Private Pilots and Commercial Pilots alike. For the Sport Aviation market, Alba Airsports offer flight training to NPPL level and introductory experience flights in Flexwing and Fixed wing 3 axis Microlights and Gyrocopters. Potential pilots and thrill-seekers alike will be able to trial and undertake Microlight training for issue of a National Private Pilots License (Microlights).
Individuals who are reasonably fit and within the weight limits.
The average student will spend from £3000 to £4000 to complete the full course of training.
Students are charged for flight lessons based on 'engine time' (from engine start to engine stop). The current rate for a 1 hour flying lesson on a school aircraft is £120 for flexwing aircraft.
All flight lessons include a pre-flight classroom briefing that will cover theoretical and practical elements of the upcoming air exercise. The pre-flight brief takes approx 30 –40 minutes and there is no charge for this classroom briefing.
There are also nominal administration and processing charges for each exam when taken. Where a student feels he needs supplemental ground school tutoring, this can also be arranged on an hourly paid basis.
Good condition second hand machines cost less than you would normally spend on a second hand car. New machines are also relatively inexpensive compared to conventional aircraft.
Under the CAA Permit to Fly scheme, microlight aircraft owners can perform most scheduled maintenance requirements on their own. This keeps the cost of ownership to a minimum. An annual inspection by a certified inspector is required to ensure the aircraft is safe and airworthy (similar to a vehicle MOT) and the cost for this inspection is approximately £100.
Microlight aircraft operate from airports, airfields, farm strips, private fields, etc so cost of hangarage varies depending on the location and facilities. Monthly hangarage rates for a fully rigged flexwing microlight aircraft average around £110/month at Perth Airfield where Alba Airsports is based. For those in syndicate ownership, the costs are shared by agreement amongst the aircraft owners keeping the cost of ownership lower still.
The great all-rounder, with traditional kingpost design. A 13sqm wing but with Quik performance, a trim range of 55-80mph making it perfect for all occasions. Used by instructors, club pilots and competition pilots alike, it has taken it all without compromise. Holder of various world records from speed in a triangle to world record heights to winning world championships. The first Quik wing to introduce tip fins, and also the first with a 450kg maximum take-off weight. Tip fins ensuring great stability at all speeds and weights, not simply a fashion accessory but designed and optimised for performance and handling.


text:
Q: Need to add a method to JAXB class. How? Or should I? I use JAXB to generate POJOs from a WADL xsd. I downloaded the xsd directly from W3C. However, I'd like one of my POJOs to have a helper method that allows me to recurse through it, like so:
public Stream<WadlResource> flattenPath() {
    return Stream.concat(
        Stream.of(this),
        this.methodOrResource.stream()
                .filter(WadlResource.class::isInstance)
                .map(WadlResource.class::cast)
                .flatMap(WadlResource::flattenPath) // recursion here
            );
}

Notice the use of this. This method is the only way I've seen of recursing with a stream.
So my question is: How do I add this method so that it is generated along with the xsd? Is that good practice? Or should I just generate the code once, add the method, and check it into my repo (which DOESN'T seem like good practice). TIA!

A:
Is that good practice?

This is subjective. I normally do not do this. I prefer to have the schema-derived classes as simple DTO without any business logic.

How do I add this method so that it is generated along with the xsd?

You can inject code with the Code Injector Plugin. Please see the following question:
Inserting code with XJC+xsd+jxb using the options " -Xinject-code -extension "


Kellogg's recalls Honey Smacks cereal after 73 get sick, including 3 in N.J.
Three people in New Jersey are among 73 across the country who have been sickened by eating a Kellogg's cereal that has been recalled due to the possible presence of Salmonella.
On Thursday, Kellogg's pulled 15.3 oz. and 23 oz. packages of Honey Smacks cereal from shelves after after being contacted by the Food & Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control, the company said in a statement. The cereal is made by a third-party manufacturer.
Of the 73 people sickened, 24 have been hospitalized. People got sick between March 3 and May 28, according to the CDC's findings. Seven illnesses have been reported in New York -- the most of any state -- with another five in Pennsylvania.
The age of those who got sick ranges from 1 to 87 with a median age of 58, the CDC said.
The smaller box of the sugary cereal has a UPC code 3800039103 while the bigger package has a UPC code of 3800014810. Both have a "best if used by date" of June 14, 2019.
Anyone who ate the cereal should throw it out and contact Kellogg's for a refund by visiting their website or calling 1-800-962-1413.
Salmonella can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever from 12 to 72 hours after eating a contaminated product, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness can last four to seven days but can be especially serious for young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.


text:
Harry Potter Hermione Granger Parvati Patil Ron Weasley
Romance Drama
Multiple Eras
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire
Dance With Me Harry
Aerie22
COMPLETED. During the summer after his fourth year, after Uncle Vernon beats Harry, the only thing that keeps him going is thinking about Hermione's kiss at the train station. But once the authorities intervene, he is sent to live among the Muggles, where he learns about life and love. But will this help him win Hermione's heart? Or will Voldemort strike first?
During the summer after his fourth year, after Uncle Vernon beats Harry, the only thing that keeps him going is thinking about Hermione's kiss at the train station. But once the authorities intervene, he is sent to live among the Muggles, where he learns about life and love. But will this help him win Hermione's heart? Or will Voldemort strike first?
During the summer after his fourth year, the only thing that keeps Harry going amid the Dursleys' neglect and abuse is thinking about Hermione's kiss at the train station. But when the authorities intervene, he is sent to live among the Muggles, where he learns about life and love. But will this help him win Hermione's heart? Or will Voldemort strike first?


At the centre of most homes is the kitchen; where conversations are to be held, guests to be entertained and delicious, homely meals are prepared. This is why our bespoke kitchens are designed and created to suit each and everyone of your requirements; from lifestyle to budget, to theme and style, we work closely with you to produce your perfect kitchen.
At the end of each we retreat and recline into our warm, comfy bedrooms, this is why at Joseph Benjamin we understand the importance of having a bedroom that is designed impeccably to your own taste. Our handmade bedrooms incorporate wardrobe and space design so that nothing is out of place.
From radiator covers, to staircases to tables and chairs, we at Joseph Benjamin want to ensure that you have the best possible handmade furniture to complement the rest of your home. We design and create new furniture, whilst also have the ability to add an additional piece to existing sets you may already own.
After you have called or emailed us to make your initial enquiry, we will get back to you to discuss meeting and getting to know each other. We are happy to come to you, or alternatively if you would like to come to our showroom, we're always happy to have you.
The next step is to sit down with you and discuss your perfect kitchen, bedroom or furniture. There is no expert more qualified to discuss your own home than, so we will be there to listen to your ideas and work with you to demonstrate how Joseph Benjamin can help you to achieve your wishes.
Once we have perfected your concept design, our designer will produce handmade designs to show you what your project will look like. These designs can be elevated and refined, and we will not rest until you are happy.
The final stage is to build your handmade designs and install them in your home. We appreciate that this is an important project for you, so we implore you to come and see how much we care, by visiting us at our workshop to observe the progress being made on your handmade home.
The kitchen is awesome! Seriously, we are so happy with everything! I can't believe it's been almost a year since the very start of our project. I can't even remember the old kitchen anymore. Thank you again for the vision!
The thing that most impressed us most working with you was that you did everything you said you would, you did it in a timely manner and with 100% satisfaction. We put off the very necessary process of updating the kitchen for years, hating the thought of the mess and the disruption. You made everything easy. Our only regret was that we didn't do this sooner. We will recommend you to all of our friends and family.
Thank you so much, our kitchen really has totally transformed the space and provided us with so much more preparation space and storage whilst looking absolutely fantastic. The quality of the kitchen is superb as well, we are incredibly pleased with the finished product. We absolutely love our kitchen, it is just perfect.
Lee and Paul you guys are geniuses! Thank you once again.
From the outset, we knew that the kitchen was going to be special because of the passion Lee showed. He guided us from beginning to end and the finished kitchen was as good as we could have asked for, so much so that we had some wardrobes and a TV unit built.
We are currently in the process of moving and we will be on the phone to Joseph Benjamin as soon as we move into our new home.
We would just like to say a big thank you to all at Joseph Benjamin, they kindly built us some bespoke bedroom wardrobes and a couple of alcove units in the lounge.
Their work was excellent and they cleaned up every night before they left. We would definitely use them again and would recommend them to anyone who wants something special built, that will stand the test of time.


Finished and backed this anatomical heart cross stitch You can find the pattern here.
You probably do not know this, but I have 2 bachelors degree. On of them is Bachelor of science with a specialization in Biotechnology. So you can say this cross stitch is a personal one for me. A DNA molecule. You can find the pattern here.


Are you looking for natural ways to live a calmer life? Hoping to teach yourself relaxation skills? Trying to avoid pills to keep your anxiety in check?
If the answer is yes, you may want to learn about autogenic training (AT). While the term may sound fancy, autogenic training is a relaxation technique designed to encourage inner-peace while lowering stress levels.
This approach to calmness was first introduced in 1932 by a German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz. He noticed that when hypnotizing people, patients entered a relaxed state where they experienced sensations of mind-body wellness.
At its core, AT involves repeating a series of self-affirmations about heaviness and warmth with a focus on different body parts. In this way, a person can positively influence their autonomic nervous system.
Like the name implies, autogenic means to generate from within. While similar to progressive muscle relaxation, the two aren't the same. That's because autogenic training uses your own suggestions as part of the process.
Many people consider AT a form of self-hypnosis. Others think of it as mindful meditation. Regardless, it's considered best practice to engage in this activity at least once a day over a 21-day period.
Here is a link to A Guide to Psychology that walks you through the basics of AT. As a resource for learning, I'm also including a video below.
Now, let's move on to 7 ways autogenic training promotes calmer living.
If you struggle with social anxiety, you already know the difficulty involved with being around large groups. AT may benefit you in several ways.
Helping you to become centered and relaxed before an event.
Creating a mental picture of confidence.
Reducing feelings of panic and stress.
If you are trying to increase the power of your muscles or experience a more mindful workout, AT could give you the extra boost you need.
Teaching yourself to regulate breathing.
Encouraging more oxygen flow to your muscles.
Helping you to remain centered and focused prior to working out.
Have you been through a traumatic event? Struggling with PTSD? Are you trying to soothe your nerves and calm your mind? If so, AT may be a helpful approach.
Training yourself to focus your thoughts on the here and now.
Reducing the "fight or flight" stress response.
Creating a mental inner-sanctum of peace and tranquility.
Do you have a phobic response to objects, places or things? When in their presence, does fear rule? Should the answer be yes, AT could offer certain benefits.
Do you have a history of high blood pressure? Has your doctor encouraged you to engage in relaxation techniques? Looking for an easy approach? AT might be a great option to consider, according to research.
Training yourself a self-calming technique during times of stress.
Helping to keep your blood pressure low throughout the day.
Are you currently walking the path of sobriety? Need an activity that encourages the mind-body connection? Trying to gain inner strength? If the answer is yes, AT could be exactly what you are looking for.
Do you want to be closer to your mate? Are you trying to encourage more meaning behind touch? Need something natural that works and doesn't require chemical stimulation? If so, then AT could be your new best friend.
Repeating affirmations to yourself that increase self-confidence. In turn, this increases pleasure.
I encourage you to learn all that you can about autogenic training. There are many more applications for this approach to wellness that aren't listed above.
For example, AT is also used as a coping tool for pain management. There is a great book available on Amazon by Sadigh and Moore on this topic you might want to consider.
Remember, if you begin to incorporate AT into your life, aim for regularity. Experts suggest a commitment of 21-days for positive changes to take hold.


text:
Bradford City Have Had Some Fantastic Players In The Past... Here Are My Favourites
Over the years that I have been supporting Bradford City we have had some great players but also had some massive flops too. My earliest memories are of watching Bradford playing in the Premiership with some fantastic names that really stood out then as I grew old and the teams changed there were plenty more names that stood out and in my opinion made an impact. So here are those players who made it onto my list of favourite past Bradford City players, I have to admit these were definitely easy picks as these are always the names that stand out to me when anyone asked who my favourites have been over the years.
Stuart McCall
Current Bradford City manager Stuart McCall is a Bradford City legend in my eyes, he was a fantastic player in the midfield for City over the years and made a definite impact. He's also been back to manage the team and is currently trying his best to get the current side back in form like he did in his last stint at the club when they reached the League 1 play off final. There is also that fantastic moment where he is celebrating on top of the car with a can of beer and falls off which makes me laugh every time.
Dean Windass
I don't know what it is about Windass but he has always been a player I have loved for City. Bagging himself 75 goals in his two stints at the club in my eyes he was fantastic it was great growing up having a player like him on the team I watched. Plus that goal he scored for Hull to win them promotion you just can't beat it.
Rory McArdle
I would happily have Rory back at the club any day as he was a player I loved to watch play. A real no nonsense defender who put in some brilliant challenge and provided some great goals in his 183 appearances for the club between 2012 & 2017. I am sure he often mistook being a defender for being a wrestler with some of the challenges he made but he always made the defence that little bit safer when he was playing.
Stephen Darby
It is actually thanks to Darby I ended up following Man City women but that is a story for another day. Darby was a great player at right back for the club and to be honest it shows just how good he was for the club when you look at how that position has declined since he left the club to head to Bolton. For me Darby was a great captain and was really influential in the clubs success during the time he was playing for the club.
Benito Carbone
Benito Carbone is a name I think I am always going to remember. Carbone was at the club just as I was really enjoying the game with my mum, he is probably the first big name (well big for Bradford) I ever picked up on and although he wasn't at City for long he is always going to be one of my favourites. I do believe if he stayed at the club a little longer and I was a bit older to appreciate the game at the time he was with us he may be even further up my favourites list.
David Wetherall
The hero that kept us in the Premier League for another year. This for me made Wetherall one of my favourite players in its own right as that goal against Liverpool kept us in the league. Unfortunately he was hit with plenty of injuries whilst at the club but he still went on to make 304 appearances for the club in just under a 10 year period which for any player is a great achievement.
If you follow or have watched Bradford City who would make your list of favourite past players who have worn that Bradford City shirt?
Labels: BCAFC, EFL, football, men's football
Bradford City Have Had Some Fantastic Players In T...
My Favourite Manchester United Players At The Moment
2020 Round Up


text:
Blog, Marketing
What Is a Landing Page?
The landing page is a webpage that is designed with a single purpose: a conversion. You're looking to return a page free from distraction (so no footers, sidebars, widgets etc.), and provide a single message or lead magnet offer that is specifically curated for the audience that is most likely drawn to the page (usually via advertising, organic SEO, or other promotions). This article provides a very brief introduction to landing pages, how they're created, and how to improve upon their effectiveness.
Landing pages convert far higher than traditional website entry page because they're built with the specific purpose of conversion. A good website in the finance space (for example) rarely achieves single-digit page conversions (with most averaging less than 0.4%) although even a bad landing page converts at around 10%. The average lower-quality dedicated landing page converts at around 30%... with simple yet well crafted pages consistently converting at around 75%. What gives the landing page the higher conversions is a combination of the audience that is first attracted to your page, and the relationship offer ("lead magnet") or other opportunity designed to provide the conversion incentive.
The Landing Page Origins
It wasn't long after the introduction of the printing press that we saw the first version of a 'landing page': a full-page advertisement in a broadsheet newspaper. The page was free from distraction and deferred user focus from other areas of the publication. Given a scalable version of the printing press was developed in 1640, it could be argued that the current version of the Internet landing page isn't totally unlike what the French might have been serving nearly 600 years ago.
Discussed in more detail in our article titled "How To Create An Effective Lead Magnet (Or 'Relationship Offer')", we provide this example of a broadsheet long-form advertisement from Merrill Lynch that caused a pivotal switch in how business communicated with their print market. Louis H. Engel's most famous and innovative advertisement first ran on October 19, 1948 in the New York Times. The ad contained 6,540 words – the most anybody had ever used in a single page. Notice the small and unobtrusive call-to-action to obtain a copy of the advert. This 'lead magnet' wasn't giving away anything new; they were literally providing the pamphlet containing the text in the ad! The contact made by those wanting the information had a cold market dip their toes into a sales funnel that would ultimately result in an invitation to watch a 30-minute movie in "full color".
Think about the effort and cost historically required to simply sit a prospect down in front of a video... and compare that against what's required today. In essence, this advert - and thousands of others like it - were landing pages.
What Everybody Ought to Know about This Stock and Bond Business
The nasty old squeeze page was historically used to 'squeeze' contact details or a sale from an online user at any cost. The page was full of bold testimonials (fake, of course), inflated worth, and false promises. The squeeze page and the potential income that was derived from their use gave birth to a new wave of "digital marketers" (i.e. scammers) that were in it to make money at the expense of their soul. They'd push 'magic potions' that had no value whatsoever, and they attached an arbitrary price to a product that promised "secrets" and opportunity - none of course which was real. These charlatans dragged parts of the legitimate digital marketing industry into a realm of disrepute akin to used-car salespeople (and yes, the tactics are still used today).
So, while the old Squeeze Page might have intentionally over-promised and grossly under-delivered, the landing page (with its associated lead magnet) is a means to slightly under-promise and then overwhelm. It's an opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition and clearly identify you as the business of choice.
There has been a name for the 'lead (or link) magnet' on the Internet long before it evolved into the landing page concept that exists today – it was (and still is) Content Marketing. Your lead magnet is content, and by promoting it you are engaging in content marketing. The underlying concept of the lead magnet by todays' salesy standards is that we're sharing the content with a heightened expectation that it will convert.
There are countless tactics used on landing pages for which we vigorously object. For example, a fake countdown timer suggesting that a lead magnet is only available for a short time is a lie – don't do it. Advertising a live webinar (as a magnet) when in fact it's a reply recording is another lie; if it's a replay don't be afraid to say so – it doesn't diminish the value. The list goes on and on. Generally speaking, if a company is prepared to lie to you in their marketing material they'll do the same once you're working with them. This kind of 'urgency' marketing tends to be rewarded in our industry because it does work. However, it's something we won't do and generally won't allow our client to do.
Every Website Entry Page is a Landing Page
Keep in mind that we treat every page on your website as a 'type of landing page'. Since every page on your website is a potential entry point (driven in part by Search Engine Optimisation), every single page on your website is also a 'landing page'. So, every page on your website needs to provide some sort of conversion opportunity; it's time to stop treating your website as if it were an online business card and instead turn it into a lead generating machine.
If you're using third-party landing page websites such as leadpages of any 'click funnel' style of service to host your landing pages, they're objectively costing you conversions. Simple as that. Designed for those that don't have a website or technical expertise to build anything themselves, these third-party sites offer a short-term fix to a much longer term problem of lead generation. These external websites fractionalise your website integrity, often incur an ongoing cost (sometimes in the hundreds per month), don't provide your own website with any SEO benefit, potentially violate financial privacy expectations (if you're in the finance space), and they often operate outside of the parameters of the (Australian) Privacy Act, or those governing requirements implied directly or otherwise by the operating terms of an Australian Credit Licence (if applicable). We're seeing misguided finance professionals flock to these services despite having their own website... and often it's the digital oversight provided by industry pretenders (posing as "professionals") that seemingly advocate their use.
Hosted Landing Pages
Hosting a landing page within the confines of your own secure website adds trust by way of your own trusted domain. Additionally, certain styles are inherited making the landing page consistent with your own style guide meaning brand awareness/value isn't lost. The most important feature of a self-hosted landing page is that you retain full ownership - something that is difficult to claim when the page is hosted on a subscription-based service. The notion that finance professionals will send a lead to a third-party website when they have the capacity to host it themselves is simply absurd, and it's a practice that has to come to an end.
We talk a lot about building trust in a digital relationship, and sending a visitor to an unknown website often has the opposite effect to that which is intended. In the finance industry in particular conversions are often twice that on fully hosted and branded landing page when compared against any third-party websites. We want to make one point very clear: building a landing page on a third-party website is a defining characteristic of a digital agency that has no place in the industry.
Discussed in an article introducing the value of the second page in the funnel flow, we introduce the value of what is traditionally a 'thankyou' or booking page. The second page is extremely high value and should offer content based on the escalation of subscriber commitment. We're the only company in our space to offer fully hosted landing pages with conditional redirect functionality.
Pictured: Our preferred means of redirection to the second page is predicated upon conditional first page interactions. This means that basic subscribers, those that provide a telephone number, and those that make a booking, are all treated differently. Coupled with the "First Email" and associated relevance you might easily double your existing conversions using this technique.
Our top-of-funnel experience is discussed a little further here, and our landing page creation plugin is introduced here. You should follow the "Marketing Funnel" tag for broader context. The side-wide conditional content features served as a result of landing page interactions are introduced here.
Creating a Landing Page
As mentioned above, creation of a basic landing page is easy. As described in this article you can have an integrated landing page within WordPress within just a few minutes. The super-simple one-page landing page below is one we've used for a long time, and it's also the one that generally converts more than any other (generally around 85%). We create very simple landing pages (similar to the one below) but also those that are design-focused and integrate a range of funky features... although it's the former that almost always performs more efficiently than the latter.
Simple one column landing page.
An example page that might be built using our very basic two-column landing page code is as follows.
Example Landing Page. Build time is approximately 3 minutes.
If you're somebody that prefers email options to launch in a modal popup, that functionality is available in our Landing Page plugin (with dozens of other features).
Example 'Thank You' Landing Page (Shown after email subscription)
Obviously, as with all web design, all landing pages should be mobile responsive. The above pages stack as follows on a mobile device.
Example Responsive Landing Page
The image below shows a WordPress landing page on a website with a background image and other basic design elements. It's a full-length page that scrolls through a number of areas, but the primary area presented to the user on page entry emulates a simple landing page free of further distraction. It's blurred to de-identify our client.
Again, our methods of creating landing pages and split test campaigns is discussed in more detail here.
Keeping the Form Simple
Any barrier to entry makes a conversion more difficult. Any layer of abstraction potentially detracts from the 'purchase' experience. This includes any field that isn't immediately necessary to serve the product. For example, consider the following download page from Salesforce.
Anything other than name, email, and possibly phone number should be justified by a clear operational need. Fields such as state, country, region etc. can all be resolved by way of an IP address and can be submitted 'covertly' via a form with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
Delivering Popups on Internal Web Pages
Since every page is a potential opportunity you should consider using a popup on non-landing pages. Our own WordPress plugin makes this easy with all the standard popup functions, but also includes the functionality to deliver popups based on geography or origin (a URL parameter is stored in a session so you're aware of what popup to serve). The latter feature has increased our popup conversions by over 300%. It's not uncommon to use popups on landing pages but it's normally the exit intent popup we'll show as a last measure to convert before a user vacates our page.
Geographic Area of the BM Popup Plugin.
Our splash page plugin (soon to be integrated with the popup plugin) includes the same features.
The Most Trafficked Landing Page on Your Website
We talk a lot about optimising all areas of your website, particularly in the finance space where a website is often treated as an 'online business card'... or even ignored altogether. If you've ever uttered the words "my website is more for people to look at and doesn't really generate business" you're one of the many that hasn't optimised one of the most profitable drivers of your business growth. If you've ever directed traffic to an externally hosted landing page rather than your own website (as described above) you really need to rethink your life choices.
One of the most organically trafficked pages on your website is your front entry page and should be treated as a conversion opportunity. To that end, it's worth reading our Your Finance Website Is As Important As Ever" article and alter your entry page methodology as appropriate. In brief, do way with sliders, distracting and non-converting elements, make the most of your entry top-half, and provide a clear call-to-action.
Again, every page on your website is a potential entry page and therefore a landing page... so each and every page should curated for a conversion opportunity of some kind.
Call to Action Buttons
It's not uncommon for many to create call-to-action buttons based almost entirely upon the default features provided by their WordPress theme. The problem with this is that the buttons (like any theme-specific shortcode) aren't portable if you alter your theme, and the buttons themselves are usually rather generic. The solution is simple: create button to your liking - and it's easier than you think. We've scheduled an article here that will show you how to create a large number of CTA buttons (using shortcode) you can modify to your liking with ease.
Rather than a generic 'Download' text on your button, consider text that is more specific and more likely to attract attention (e.g. "Claim My Free Offer"). Consider a bold color, ensure the button sits above your fold, and generally aim to have white space around the button to provide sufficient contrast.
A text-free button we often use on a few of our own websites (below) converts nearly twice as many visitors as any other.
Buttons are exceedingly easy to create and generally take no more than 30-seconds with our simple shortcode.
Claim My Free Offer!
Note the use of the word "My" in the button rather than "Your". It's claimed that changing button text to the first person increases conversions by nearly 30%.
Generally speaking, green and orange buttons are reported to perform best although it ultimately depends on your site design, as contrasting colors work best to make striking buttons that stand out.
Simple Forms
Forms themselves alter conversions significantly. Form fields should be large and include placeholder text, and they should always include AJAX on-page functionality. Error checking should be simple, and user errors should ideally be corrected in real-time (forcing lower-case text in an email field is just one example since many users will correct any uppercase text assuming that it'll result in an error). Those fields that aren't required and may compromise on conversions should be clearly be marked as such (e.g a phone number). Read more about our industry-leading form experience here.
If you're adding social proof by way of testimonials, ensure that they are served in a segregated manner (our testimonial plugin supports categories and tags, of course). In our own tests, serving testimonials that are entirely relevant to content served on the landing page increases conversions by over 37%. For example, if your landing page is delivered to a global audience, try and resolve your users' IP address and serve those testimonials that are geographically relevant. If you're passing URL parameters to a single landing page you can further filter testimonials to return those industries (or any other attribute) that is most suitable to your users' origin.
Of course, to mitigate the technical barriers necessary to create the functionality described above you might simply create multiple landing pages intended for different audiences and risk taking a small hit with the cross-pollination.
We introduce relevance to your landing experience by way of Conditional Redirects, a customised First Email, and a highly customised funnel journey. In fact, we introduce numerous measure to fully personalise the experience.
Pictured: Conditional Redirects (top) and creating the conditional redirect (bottom). The subscription might take the form of a phone booking, calendar booking, or email subscription. The second-page should always take advantage of this variance in order to convert. Read more here.
Pictured: No landing experience is the same... so the 'First Email' should be sent so on the basis of former interactions. Pictured is an email created for cases where a calendar booking is made on the first landing page.
Nothing adds relevance to your website experience more than delivering conditional content based on other interactions (including landing pages). All our website content is served on the basis of user interactions or geography; this holistic online experience is discussed here.
The success of a landing page can't be assessed unless you're using analytics to measure conversions and activity. We recommend traffic-based analytics (such as Google analytics), screen recording features to watch replays of actual user behaviour, our own BeliefMedia Pixel, and heat maps so you're able to scrutinise your design based on mouse-movement activity. Any serious campaign that doesn't include these three features (as a minimum) is crafted based on ill-informed guesswork.
Landing Page Builders
Landing page builders aren't entirely different to the tools you might already be using on your own website - and many of them are excellent. To mitigate the technical learning curve a simple drag-and-drop editor can be used to simply build the page in blocks. Some themes, such as Divi , come packaged with a builder by default while other products, such as Thrive Architect and Elementor , are available as standalone plugins. Of course, BeliefMedia has our own plugins available for client use.
Pictured: Split testing landing pages with the BeliefMedia client plugin.
The landing page is intrinsically connected to the psychology of human behaviour and the only suitable method to determine what page works best for a specific audience or product is to engage in a relentless split-testing campaign.
There is no such thing as a fully-optimised landing page - there's always something we can be doing better.
In our experience the most significant means of ensuring high conversions is to keep the page extremely simple. Any element you add to a landing page that isn't entirely necessary simply adds more clutter and distractions, and potentially compromises your conversions. If your landing page starts to look like every other webpage on your website, it's time to start over.
This article serves as a very basic introduction to the landing page. If you would like to lean why our landing pages are often three times more effective than our five closest competitors, please call us on 1300 235 433 (1300 BELIEF).


Download Free Bestia Italian Recipes Created In The Heart Of La Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Bestia Italian Recipes Created In The Heart Of La and write the review.
This debut cookbook from L.A.'s phenomenally popular Bestia restaurant features rustic Italian food that is driven by intense flavors, including house-made charcuterie, pizza and pasta from scratch, and innovative desserts inspired by home-baked classics. Since opening in downtown Los Angeles in 2012, Bestia has captivated diners with its bold, satisfying, and flavor-forward food served in a festive, communal atmosphere. Now, in this accessible and immersive debut cookbook, all of the incredible dishes that have made Bestia one of the most talked-about restaurants in the country are on full display. Rooted in the flavors and techniques of Italian regional cooking, these recipes include inventive hits like fennel-crusted pork chops; meatballs with ricotta, tomato, greens, and preserved lemon; and agnolotti made with cacao pasta dough. Irresistible desserts such as apple cider donuts and a chocolate budino tart, from co-owner and pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, end the concert of flavors on a high note. With chapters on making bread, pasta, and charcuterie; sections on stocks and sauces; and new ideas for getting the most from your cooking by layering flavors, Bestia delivers a distinctively innovative approach to Italian-inspired cooking.
The exploitation film industry of Italy, Spain and France during the height of its popularity from 1960 to 1980 is the focus of this entertaining history. With subject matter running the gamut from Italian zombies to Spanish werewolves to French lesbian vampires, the shocking and profoundly entertaining motion pictures of the "Eurocult" genre are discussed from the standpoint of the films and the filmmakers, including such internationally celebrated auteurs as Mario Bava, Jess Franco, Jean Rollin and Paul Naschy. The Eurocult phenomenon is also examined in relation to the influences that European culture and environment have had on the world of exploitation cinema. The author's insight and expertise contribute to a greater understanding of what made these films special—and why they have remained so popular to later generations.
In the last quarter of the twentieth century a considerable number of Spanish films were involved in the task of essaying the nation, that is, of attempting to make it or make it over, of trying to reshape a national identity inexorably dictated by General Francisco Franco up to his death. The book explores four major issues in this regard: 1) the filmic negotiations of the borders of the nation, focusing particularly on the debated and controversial development of Basque cinema vis-à-vis the films produced in the rest of Spain; 2) the persistence of the old obsession with violence, thought of as an inescapable native trait, in a large amount of post-dictatorial films; 3) the newfound insatiable appetite for cinematic travelling, for going out and coming in through all possible variations of the road and travel movie genres; 4) and the vindication of the mother qua a benign emblem of the land and its people, of the nation. There is a narrative in Spanish cinema, taken as a collective discourse, which ties together these four cinematic topoi and proposes a nation whose specificity must be precisely its impurity-difference within as essence-a hybrid nation located in temporal and spatial rendezvous of past and present, tradition and novelty, centre and margin, inside and outside, on and beyond.


text:
Jodie Foster-Special guest of the Opening Ceremony and the Honorary Palme d'or of the 74th Festival de Cannes
AppFabNews Culture & Sport 10th June 2021
Following Jeanne Moreau, Bernardo Bertolucci, Jane Fonda, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Manoel de Oliveira, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Agnès Varda and Alain Delon, Jodie Foster will receive the Festival's Honorary Palme d'or in recognition of a brilliant artistic journey, a unique personality with a modest yet strong commitment to some of the major issues of our time.
Guest of honour at the Opening Ceremony which will take place on the stage at the Palais des festival on Tuesday, July 6, the director, actress and American producer will kick-off the 74th edition which will draw to a close on Saturday, July 17th with the awards' list given by the President of the Jury, Spike Lee.
"Cannes is a festival to which I owe so much, it has completely changed my life, states Jodie Foster several weeks before the event. Although I had already directed before, my first time on the Croisette was a defining moment for me. Showcasing one of my films here has always been a dream of mine. In fact, I have had several opportunities to fulfil my dream, details Foster, who told Andy Warhol that she had always wanted to become a filmmaker. Cannes is a film festival by auteur-filmakers who honour artists. And I greatly appreciate that"
For more info: https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/
← ROYAL ASCOT – IF YOU ONLY WATCH ONE DRAMA THIS YEAR…
Four voices and four languages marked the start of the 74th Festival de Cannes! →


The New England Patriots are in an interesting spot this offseason. While their biggest needs are on defense, they do have multiple young players on that side of the football who – New England hopes – have yet to reach their ceiling. For example, linebacker Elandon Roberts and edge defender Deatrich Wise have been featured heavily but have been unable to produce at a consistent level. In addition, veteran linebacker Dont'a Hightower and edge defender Derek Rivers are both coming off season-ending injuries that might impact their level of play in 2018.
Although it has not been always the case, the Patriots have recently surrounded quarterback Tom Brady with young talented players on offense, highlighted by New England's young interior offensive line. While tight end Rob Gronkowski has been mulling retirement, he is under contract so for the purposes of this article we assume that the NFL's best tight end will be back with New England for the 2018 season.
While a case can be made that Solder is just the third best free agent on New England's offense behind running back Dion Lewis and wide receiver Danny Amendola, his positional value and lack of alternative options should force the Patriots to re-sign the veteran. Not only is Solder an unrestricted free agent, but backup swing tackles Cameron Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle's contracts are also up, which leaves the Patriots with just one player – right tackle Marcus Cannon – who has already played an NFL snap at offensive tackle.
Admittedly, Solder has been among the more inconsistent tackles in the NFL as he can have both hot and cold streaks featuring boom or bust games. However, he was able to put together very solid couple months in 2018 and was among the league's best offensive tackles after the Patriots' bye week in Week 9.
New England's inability to stop the run and their linebackers failing to come off blocks hurt the Patriots all season. Williamson earned the sixth-highest run-defense grade among linebackers with an elite grade of 90.1, while no New England linebacker managed to record a run-defense grade higher than 44.0. In addition, Williamson recorded a defensive stop on 8.8 percent of run plays when he was on the field, which ranked 25th among linebackers. On the other hand, Roberts made a stop on just 6.2 percent of run plays, which was dead last among linebackers.
As of now it is unknown where New England intends to play Hightower in the future as he has been moved to more of an edge defender role over the last two seasons. However, if that development continues and Hightower does not return to the middle of the field, Williamson – who is still only 26 – could be a worthy successor.
Okafor is coming off a season-ending injury after signing a one-year deal with the Saints and enjoyed a breakout season until he tore his Achilles. This makes him a prime candidate to sign another one-year deal, which Bill Belichick has been famous for offering to veteran contributors.
Okafor can help the Patriots' pass-rush, a unit that struggled mightily in 2017, while he can also contribute in run defense. In addition, Okafor would not need to necessarily play a big role after recovering from his injury as he could split time with second-year players in Rivers and Wise.
The Patriots' plans in the secondary rely heavily on what they envision cornerback Eric Rowe doing in 2018. Rowe played most of his snaps in the slot in 2017, however, he replaced Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl and played on the outside where he did have some success after initial struggles. With that in mind, New England might target a slot cornerback or outside cornerback depending on where they intend to use Rowe next season.
Acquiring Amukamara would allow Rowe to move back to the slot as the Bears cornerback plays exclusively on the outside. Amukamara allowed only one touchdown all season despite seeing 51 targets in 2017. Furthermore, he has been solid tackler over the past two seasons as he missed just a total of five tackles in 2016 and 2017, which is an important skill in Belichick's defense.


text:
Tesco reveals why prices are lower when you have a Clubcard
With Christmas just around the corner, Clubcard savings can seem too good to be true
JJ DonoghueReporter
Join the Secret Elves to get first access to our exclusive reviews of the must-have products this year.
Tesco has revealed why its Clubcard prices are so much lower than regular prices just before Christmas.
The supermarket chain's membership scheme often gives significant discounts to people who sign up, and about 80 per cent of transactions at large Tesco stores in the UK now use a Clubcard.
And with Christmas just around the corner, the wide range of deals that Tesco Clubcard users get can be a lifesaver for shoppers.
READ MORE: Tesco offering huge Christmas discounts including £5 off Baileys
Clubcard prices are often significantly lower than regular prices - and Tesco have now explained how they are able to do this, the Manchester Evening News reports.
When asked why prices can be so much lower for shoppers with a Clubcard, Tesco said: "We're delighted that this analysis has recognised that Tesco Clubcard customers get the best value of any major supermarket when they shop with us – and over 20m of our customers who regularly use Clubcard for their shop agree.
"We make it easy for customers to make choices about the data they share, and you can have a Clubcard and benefit from Clubcard Prices while choosing not to receive targeted marketing.
"We only ever use data that customers have agreed to share with Tesco, which allows us to personalise our offers.
"So, for example, if you're looking for a bottle of red wine for Christmas, and there's a great offer on the wine you usually buy, it's helpful for us to let you know."
Want our best stories with fewer ads and alerts when the biggest news stories drop? Download our app on iPhone or Android
Earlier this week, the Daily Mail found that a basket of branded items costing £42.40 without a Clubcard was slashed by almost a third after the exclusive discounts, lowered to £29.22.
This same basket of items would have cost £32.07 in ASDA, £35.30 in Sainsbury's and £34.58 in Morrisons.
What do you think? Sign in and join the conversations in the comments below
UK weather: Where heavy snow could fall this Christmas with 18cm predicted for New Year
Strictly Come Dancing's Dianne Buswell responds to rumours she's quitting BBC show
TVAs We See It: The release date for the new Amazon Prime Video series, and its inclusive castAll three lead actors are on the autism spectrum
M5 motorwayMan dies in M5 crash after being hit by 'a number of vehicles'"The man's next of kin has been notified. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time"


text:
Chungnyeolsa can refer to various Korean shrines, including:

Chungnyeolsa (Chungju), a shrine to Im Gyeong Eop in Chungju
Chungnyeolsa (Goseong), a shrine to Yi Sun-sin in Goseong
Chungnyeolsa (Busan), a shrine to Song Sang-hyeon in Busan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


N.E.R.D have unveiled the artwork and release date for their upcoming album, 'No_One Ever Really Dies'. See below.
The three-piece – consisting of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shay Haley – last released an album in 2010 with 'Nothing' and later contributed music to The SpongeBob Movie soundtrack in 2014.
They returned earlier this month with their Rihanna-featuring comeback single 'Lemon' and its follow-up 'Rollinem 7's', featuring Outkast's Andre 3000. Pharrell and co also played the album live in full at a special show.
Pharrell has now taken to Twitter to share the record's artwork (see below) and reveal that it will be released on December 15.
Along with Rihanna and Andre 3000, the album will also feature guest appearances from Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, MIA, Future, Gucci Mane and Wale.
Pharrell first hinted that N.E.R.D were set to return back in September 2015, when he confirmed that work on a new album.
N.E.R.D released their first album, 'In Search Of…' in 2002. The albums 'Fly Or Die' (2004), 'Seeing Sounds' (2008) and 'Nothing' (2010) have followed.


text:
Sound On Sound - Jun 1986	Super JX
Super JX
For some time now Roland's synthesizer range has been lacking a flagship model worthy of the Jupiter 8's reputation. Mark Jenkins believes they finally have one in the form of their very latest 12-voice JX-10 Super JX polysynth. Read why...
Mark Jenkins examines Roland's new top-of-the-line synthesizer - the JX-10.
Every fleet needs a flagship, and the Roland keyboard line has been lacking one for some time. Admittedly, the JX-8P introduced around a year ago has some powerful features, but it's hardly in the tradition of the groundbreaking Jupiter 8 - it isn't even splittable.
So it comes as no surprise to hear that Roland have launched a new flagship model, although there will be some doubts as to its viability. With the success of recent budget digital synths such as Casio's CZ101, Yamaha's DX100, and Roland's own versatile Alpha Juno 1 and 2, the prospect of selling a £1900 analogue synthesizer must be somewhat daunting.
As we'll see, the JX-10 has some unusual features and several sonic capabilities denied to the conventional analogue synth, but in market terms, its closest neighbours must be the Oberheim range - the American thoroughbreds which took analogue synthesis where no keyboard had gone before. Oberheims are massively respected in the world music market, but are hardly big sellers in the UK. It looks as though the JX-10 is Roland's attempt to win back those prestige synth customers. Let's look at what it offers.
In many ways, the JX-10 (known also as the Super JX) is similar to the JX-8P. In fact, its 'voice architecture' is almost identical with two oscillators, two envelope generators and one filter per voice. White noise is available in addition, but the JX-10 has 12 voices rather than six or eight, and so approaches the chordal prowess of the 16-voice Yamaha DX7.
Unlike the DX7, however, the JX-10 can be split to form two 6-voice synthesizers. These can be layered together (played 6-note polyphonically) or placed either side of a programmed keyboard split defined by the user. There are not one, not two, but FOUR audio outputs, allowing notes each side of the split point to be recorded in stereo with Chorus. Furthermore, the two sides of the split can be assigned to different MIDI channels both for receive and transmit operations, so the JX-10 may well have some useful applications as a MIDI mother keyboard. Its six-and-a half octave, C to G, semi-weighted keyboard is a great advantage here, which adds further to its appeal.
The basic JX-10 voice offers sawtooth and pulse waveforms which can be combined to form more complex waves (and thus more complex sounds). But where this machine really comes into its own is in the application of its performance parameters - Program Change, Pitch-Bend, Modulation, Portamento Rate, after-touch control of Vibrato, Brilliance and Volume, plus velocity control of Volume, Brilliance and (in Dual Mode) of Cross-Fade.
This last feature is typical of some recent sampling keyboards and allows the user to produce some startling effects denied to those with simple performance controls. Strike the keys hard and you have a swiftly attacking string sound - hit them gently and you have strings which fade in slowly. Alternatively, you could opt for two completely different sounds for cross-fading, but either way, the effectiveness of the system depends upon the ease with which you can call up your pairs of sounds.
Luckily, the JX-10 follows the Jupiter 8/Jupiter 6 route of providing patch memories in addition to the conventional voice memories. There are 64 such patch memories which can each store one or two sounds, as well as any split point, keyboard mode and all performance settings. Obviously this is a boon for stage work, since a keyboard with so many modes available would otherwise be difficult to set up quickly.
Another major point is the provision of preset patches on the JX-10. This rather old-fashioned idea was re-introduced on their JX-3P and JX-8P synths, leading many to believe that Roland have two completely separate design teams for the Juno and JX lines (after all, they don't even look similar - the synthesizers that is, not the design teams).
Why bother with preset sounds? ROM can't be that much cheaper to install than RAM surely? And while we're about it, why do Roland (and Korg) limit their synths to 64 (8x8) patches when the Americans (Sequential, Oberheim et al) consistently offer 100 (10x10)? 64 patches seems a lot, but if you want to arrange your sounds for various sets or performances without messing about with tape dumping, it suddenly becomes a very small number. Like the JX-8P, the JX-10 presets offered are pretty decent (pianos, strings and bell-like tones) but the space would be better used for a second bank of programmable memories I feel. End of lecture, back to the special features.
ECHOED SEQUENCES
Once you've called up a patch on the JX-10, you can take advantage of the built-in real-time sequencer and what Roland term the Chase-Play mode - a sort of MIDI digital delay.
Up to 32 notes can be held for between ten milliseconds and three seconds via this Chase-Play facility. Programmable parameters are: Level, Dynamics Time Follow, Lower or Upper keyboard mode, or Upper/Lower Alternation.
What all this means is that in Dual Mode your playing can be echoed by the synthesizer, either with the same sound, or a different sound selected on the other half of a split, or both. Whatever the choice, you can programme how loud you wish the echo to be in relation to the original. Some very intelligent note-pinching goes on in Chase-Play mode, since obviously if you play a 10-note chord there won't be another ten voices spare to play the 'echo' part. Chase-Play can thus be used to simulate a single-repeat digital delay, or to double up parts in a different voice with a slight delay, or to create quick ADT effects. It can even produce cascading patterns. Perhaps not something you'd use every day of the week, but at least it's unusual and usable.
The JX-10's sequencer is handy too. It's a simple real-time design with a storage capacity of 650 steps on the M16C RAM cartridge included with the machine. Roland cartridges are a little on the expensive side - the M16C is £45 and the M64C, which allows you to store 2600 steps, is £85 - so this isn't a facility which is going to alllow you to build up vast banks of sequence files unless you have a fat wallet.
However, as a scratch sequencer it's useful, with Single Play or Loop functions, Overdub and Punch-In at any point in the sequence. There are no other editing controls so you won't be able to compose complex songs on it, but you can run it either from an internal clock or externally via MIDI.
On the subject of RAM cartridges, the same M16C and M64C models can be used to store sounds as well as sequences. An M64C takes you up to a total of 128 patches and 150 sounds. Since the JX-10 doesn't offer tape dump of its patches, this looks like being a vital purchase.
As you might have guessed, the JX-10 follows recent Roland traditions (as seen on the Alpha Juno 1 and 2 and the MC-500 sequencer) in using an Alpha dial for all parameter selection and editing. In Parameter mode the continuously rotating dial calls up the available parameters (or 'factors' as they're called in the latest Roland terminology) one at a time for whatever sound you're altering. Hit the Value button and the dial then alters the level of that parameter, whether it's from 0 to 99 or simply on and off. The system is economical but could be slow, so all the important parameters such as Decay Time and Brilliance (filter opening) have their own 'quick access' edit buttons which immediately place the Alpha dial into edit mode for that particular parameter.
The alternative is to go out and spend another £199 on a PG800 Programmer, which Roland first introduced along with the JX-8P keyboard and which also edits Roland's GR77 bass guitar synth. This allows you to edit sounds simply by twiddling knobs, which of course is ten times faster than using the Alpha dial. The PG800 unit sits neatly on the right-hand side of the JX-10, just above the parameter list printed on its top panel. To the left of this list is a keypad for calling up sounds, and to the left of this, two rows of buttons to call up your patches. The Chase-Play and Sequencer controls come next, then the Key Mode and Quick Edit buttons and finally the Alpha dial.
On the left-hand panel of the JX-10 you'll find the usual performance controls to switch Portamento on and off and so on, plus faders for Upper/Lower balance, Portamento Time, overall Volume and Upper/Lower Volume via MIDI. The main performance controller is the same pitch-bender provided on the JX-8P - a chunky left-to-right device with a microswitch which activates modulation when a slight forward pressure is applied. Obviously this can be used any way you like in conjunction with the keyboard sensitivity controls - if you're going to have a hand spare to use the modulation/bender, you may prefer to programme it to affect filter opening rather than modulation on the after-touch section.
The JX-10 has the advantage of a very large (illuminated!) 32-character display which allows you to compose names for the non-preset memories, and shows the current keyboard mode and parameter values. This is a great advantage for stage use, particularly if the JX-10 is being used as a mother keyboard, although of course Yamaha have recently been wise enough to add an illuminated LCD option to the DX7 as well.
In terms of accessories, the JX-10 is well provided for by way of footswitch and pedal sockets. A DP-2 footswitch will start and stop the sequencer, shift patches or switch Portamento and Hold on and off, while an EV-5 pedal will control volume, portamento time or even sequencer speed. A stereo headphone socket is also provided.
Overall, the JX-10 is difficult to fault sonically or as a performance instrument. The Alpha dial is, of course, economical but if you can't get on with it the PG-800 Programmer isn't too expensive an accessory. Dumping sounds and sequences to cartridge is expensive but those entrepreneurial folk at Skyslip are coming up with a cheaper alternative to Roland's own cartridges I am reliably informed, just as they did for the Yamaha DX7.
The JX-10's keyboard is very pleasant to use - a little firm for the school of cheap plastic keyboard lovers but sufficiently resilient to give the pianist something to work with, so the JX-10 could be favoured as a mother keyboard. Fast and easy to use on stage, its sequencer and Chase-Play facilities both represent a significant bonus.
Unfortunately, the JX-10 is bound to suffer in sales terms with the velocity and pressure-sensitive Alpha Juno 2 at only £799 and the splittable Yamaha DX21 at £700 or so. Is there room left in today's market for a £1900 analogue synth? Roland obviously think so. If there is, the JX-10 deserves to be it.
(Contact Details)
Also featuring gear in this article
Return of the Big Synth - Roland JX10 Polysynth
(EMM Jun 86)
(MT Jun 92)
Browse category: Synthesizer > Roland
TX7 - To The Limit
Gear in this article:
Synthesizer > Roland > JX-10
Gear Tags:
Other articles featuring gear in this article:
> Return of the Big Synth EMM Jun 86
> Patchwork MT Jun 92
Related Gear:
Synthesizer > Roland > JX-8P